Clips are used to locate and support fuel pipes, lubricant pipes, electrical harnesses etc on gas turbine engines, internal combustion engines, aircraft, ships, motor cars and other vehicles as well as in other engineering, industrial and domestic applications. Clips are also used to locate and support other objects, for example a broom handle.
One known form of clip is a P-shaped clip wherein the aperture in the P-shaped clip is arranged to receive a pipe and the leg of the P-shaped clip is provided with an aperture through which a fastener extends to secure the P-shaped clip to a support structure. The P-shaped clip comes in different sizes, designs and complexity of assembly. The P-shaped clip has the advantage of providing excellent location and retention of a pipe, however it does not allow speedy installation during initial build of an engine or subsequent removal and replacement during maintenance.
Another known form of clip is an inverted Ω-shaped clip wherein the space between the legs of the inverted Ω-shaped clip is arranged to receive a pipe and the base of the inverted Ω-shaped clip is provided with an aperture through which a fastener extends to secure the inverted Ω-shaped clip to a support structure. The inverted Ω-shaped clip has the advantage of allowing insertion and removal of the pipe through the opening between the legs of the inverted Ω-shaped clip so that the need to remove the inverted Ω-shaped clip is avoided. A problem with the inverted Ω-shaped clip is that it requires an independent fastener to secure the inverted Ω-shaped clip to the support structure. Additionally different sizes of inverted Ω-shaped clips require different sizes of fasteners.